


Take Care

by maebyrutherford (maeberutherford)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Lyrium Withdrawal, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 13:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4350365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maeberutherford/pseuds/maebyrutherford
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Inquisitor tends to the Commander when he gets ill in the war room.</p><p>Tumblr sentence prompt: “You fainted … straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Care

Before he could respond, the Inquisitor was coming around to his side of the war table and resting the back of her hand against his forehead, studying his face. Maker, she was quick.

“What? I’m fine,” he lied, leaning away from her touch. Their meeting was almost over; if he could just hold on a bit longer, he could probably make it back to his office and collapse for the evening, ride out whatever this bout of withdrawal had in store for him. He grit his teeth and squeezed the pommel of his sword, grateful for the gloves hiding his undoubtedly white knuckles. Thankfully Leliana was absent this evening; the fewer people fussing over him, the better.

“No, you’re not, you’re on fire.” She was feeling his cheeks now, and for a brief moment he distracted by the softness of her small hands, and how close her face was to his. He’d never seen the details before; the tiny scar underneath her left eye, the faint cluster of freckles across her nose, the striations of green in her brown eyes.

“Josie, can you fetch a healer?” she barked, her eyes not leaving his face.

“That’s not necessary,” he insisted, even though he already knew it was a losing battle. He could feel himself growing weaker by the minute. “I said I’m fine. It’s just a bit warm in here.”

“I hate to break it to you, but It’s snowing outside, and the brazier isn’t lit. It’s freezing in here.” Ellana’s tone turned sharp as she turned to the ambassador. “Josie, healer? Now?”

“Of course, right away.” Josie scurried off, leaving the two of them alone.

“Perhaps I am coming down with something, I’m sure it’s nothing a good night’s sleep can’t cure. I”ll just turn in - “ he started to move toward the door and staggered a bit, catching himself on the table.

“Nice try, but you’re not leaving this spot until a healer’s looked at you. Inquisitor’s orders, I’m afraid.”

“Don’t be silly, I just tripped over my own foot.” He could feel the blood draining from his face as he spoke and quickly looked away. He didn’t want to wait for the healer, but he didn’t trust himself to make it back to his office, either. Damn his failing body! He didn’t want her to find out this way. Would their healer even have experience with lyrium withdrawal?

To his surprise, she laughed. “Creators, if you aren’t the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.” 

She stepped in front of him and unfastened a few buttons of her tunic, showing a flash of her breast band. If he had been capable of blushing, he would have. Agile fingers dipped into her cleavage and whipped out a handkerchief before he could even process what her intention might have been.

“Takes one to know one,” he rasped, trying his hardest to smile and remain present.

She snorted. “Funny.” Tenderly, almost reverently, she began to methodically wipe the sweat from his brow, carefully folding over the cloth to the dry side with each stroke. Cullen had never seen this side of her before; so gentle, nurturing. He tried to keep his breath steady and stood up straight, letting go of the table.

Immediately he realized that was a mistake. Ellana became a blur in front of him and his legs gave out, his vision going black.

When he came to moments later, he was being cradled in her arms, the both of them in a crumpled heap on the floor, and her face was hovering over his. As his vision sharpened he saw the fear in her eyes, and the only thing he wanted to do in that moment was to ease it, to take it away, to apologize for causing her any distress.

She smiled and caressed his face; not to gauge his temperature, this was something much more intimate that he could feel even through his disorientation. “Ah, there he is.”

He braced himself on the floor with one hand and reached up to finger a lock of her dark hair with the other, not even realizing he was doing so, and quickly retracted. “What happened?”

“You fainted … straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

He chuckled faintly, despite everything, and managed to sit up on his knees. For a moment they regarded each other, kneeling like children on the floor next to the war table.

“I, um, forgive me. I’m truly not sure what came over me.”

“Cullen, I’m not stupid, you know.”

He furrowed his brow. “What? I don’t think-”

“Let me finish. I know there’s something going on with you. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s clearly personal, and you can tell me in your own time. I won’t force you. Maybe that’s not very Inquisitorial of me, but I’d rather be your friend than your leader. And perhaps someday…” She trailed off.

Cullen opened his mouth to respond when the door burst open, Josie rushing in with the healer who was carrying a basket of supplies.

Ellana stood and moved away from him slowly, their eyes never wavering from each other while the healer examined him, not until she closed the door softly behind her.


End file.
